More than half of parents happy to take children out of school during term time to save on holiday costs

Some 55 per cent of British parents are happy for their child to miss school so that they can save money by booking a family break outside school holidays, according to a survey.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of parents said they had no idea what their child's school's policy was on fines for taking their children out of school during term time. The research by Direct Line Travel
Insurance indicates government advice that headteachers should charge
parents £50 for unauthorised absences is not having much impact.

The survey showed that even important periods of study do little to prevent parents yanking their kids out of the classroom: almost half, 48 per cent, of parents with children aged 14-18 studying for crucial GCSE and A-levels would be willing for them miss school.

We're all going on a summer holiday: Half of parents are willing to take children out of school to save money on the cost of going away

Of those parents willing to take their
children out of school, two-thirds said they would do so to save £500
or less. One in six said they would do it to save just £50.

But
the savings for booking holidays in term time can be much greater. A
family of four could save almost £2,000 on the cost of their total
holiday, according to figures from loveholidays.com.

Two
adults and two children travelling to Malta on an all-inclusive basis,
departing from London Gatwick on a seven night basis during the Easter
holidays, would pay £3489.15. But travelling just a couple of weeks
earlier could reduce the price to just £1,680 – a whopping £1,809.15
difference.

In another example, the same family could
save almost £1,000 on a holiday to Tunisia for seven nights on an
all-inclusive basis flying from London Standard. Flying on 10 August would cost £2835.03 but the price drops to £1,879.67 – a saving of £955.36 - if the trip was booked after the end of the summer holidays.

Having a whale of a time: Families are being forced to take children on holiday during school term time because of the rising cost of travel.

A trip to Portugal in August would cost £2,015.59 for 2 adults and 2 children on a self-catering basis in a three star hotel from London Gatwick. But if they travelled in late September this would drop to £1,214 – a saving of £801.59.

Alex Francis, from loveholidays.com, said: ‘Travel outside of the school holidays is often significantly cheaper with a considerable price difference for a family of four.’

HOW TO CUT THE COST OF A HOLIDAY

Bend and stretch – be flexible: Heart set on flying on the 16th? If possible, be flexible with the date of departure – and the airport. Air fares and hotel rates can vary considerably when a couple of days apart.

Grab the lot – go all inclusive:Go for an all-inclusive holiday so that
your costs are relatively fixed and you don't have to worry about food
and drink bills adding up while you're trying to relax

Hump day holidays – fly midweek: While charter flights may only operate on certain days of the week, when flying with scheduled airlines be prepared to travel midweek. Flights on Tuesday and Wednesday - the least popular business travel days - are often better value.

Be open-minded – go anywhere!If you're not tied to a location then you're more likely to find a bargain - be flexible about where you want to go on holiday to find the best deal. Look for less popular destinations -
these may still offer what you want, such as winter sun or family
activities, but could have better deals to attract visitors.

Think outside the (airport) box:Check prices from all UK airports -
driving or taking the train to a different airport might be cheaper than
flying from the nearest airport to your home.

Cut costs elsewhere:Look at other holiday costs that you
could reduce, such as travelling with only hand-luggage, taking public
transport rather than parking at the airport, not buying new holiday
clothes, and getting foreign currency without paying fees on your credit
or debit card